Friday, June 14, 2013

Daniyal Mueenuddin - In Other Rooms, Other Wonders

I'll be honest, if you had told me I would enjoy a book of 8 interconnected short stories about feudal society in Pakistan this much, I would not have believed you. However, I would recommend this book to almost anyone. The characters, while developed quickly, provide a deep dive into many levels of Pakistani culture, touching on the lives of the power­ful Harouni family, its employees, man­agers, drivers, gardeners, cooks and servants. The stories are dark, manipulative and gritty. Essentially, they feel real. 

NYT Review clip: "...like watching a game of blackjack, the shrewd players calculating their way beyond their dealt cards in an attempt to beat the dealer. Some bust, others surrender. But in Mueenuddin's world, no one wins."



Saturday, June 01, 2013

Lafayette Farmers and Artisan Market at the Horse Farm

Today was the grand opening of the Lafayette Farmers and Artisan Market at the Horse Farm in Lafayette - a grand opening that has taken up the majority of the a last few months of my wife's time and it was an amazing success. It opened at 8am and I rolled in around 8:10 thinking I might beat some of the crowd. Definitely not the case!

The parking lots were overflowing, the weather perfect and the variety of locally grown produce, meats, artisan vendors and cajun music was a great way to start the weekend. My wallet wasn't thanking me too much but that's ok. Here are a few scenes from the market. If you are from around here, make sure to come out next Saturday!

Panorama of the market from under the cover the live oaks. 



Pickles, salted pecan and wild honey butter and house cured bacon.


Yes. Garlic.


And of course, the music. Check out the budding cajun musicians on the right.